Manicure Monday: GLAMOUR Tate

Today's nail varnish is a bit of a surprise one and a last minute addition to my collection.

I buy a ridiculous number of magazines each month, and a large chunk of my wardrobe is taken up with boxes full of archived old editions from at least the last 5 years. I'm pretty sad, and can't wait to live somewhere with decent bookshelves to display them all. Although I have a set selection of magazines that I buy religiously, there are others that I purchase here and there if they take my fancy. Glamour is such a magazine.

Claire Danes and "stress-free Christmas shopping" have been tempting me all month, but after a friend mentioned there was a bottle of Nails Inc. nail varnish with the magazine I knew it was definitely going in my basket the next time I was at the supermarket.

I'm glad I decided to take the plunge even if I'm not overly impressed with the polish!

I used to love Nails Inc. nail polish, but during my enormous clear out I threw away all my remaining bottles bar one, as they'd all separated and were so ancient I think the lids were stuck in the bottles. Instead I've replaced all the colours with similar shades, and Essie has now become my go-to brand. I've been meaning to give Nails Inc. another go, so Glamour gave me the perfect excuse this month! There are 4 colours to choose from, but rather predictably I went for the red shade - Tate - and shied away from being too adventurous!

It's a good colour and a classic red, slightly darker than my favourite Chanel pillar box Cinéma and thus perfect for winter. Sadly there's something about the Nails Inc. formula that I just don't like. It took an awful lot of concentration (and time) to achieve a neat finish on my left hand as the polish didn't spread very well at all and became tacky really quickly. I'm trying to forget about the mess on my right (unpictured) hand as it's a bit of a travesty and the less that's said about it the better. I found it more difficult than normal to correct mistakes with the thin, round brush, and for some reason it initially left the edges of my nails really untidy which is unusual and so, so frustrating!

That being said, the colour was bold and deep after merely two coats, and the glossy finish meant I haven't bothered with a top coat.

I think because I'm so used to other brands I find it hard to adapt to something new, so I wouldn't be too put off buying it! The colour is unfortunately really close to other, better ones in my collection - totally my fault for buying yet another red! - but if you're after a classic yet wintery shade then this is definitely worth considering. There's technically nothing wrong with the polish, it's just not right for me. I'd be interested to hear how you got on with it - and Nails Inc. in general, so do let me know in the comments below.

If anything, it's worth buying as for £2 you'll have a full size Nails Inc. polish and December's Glamour which is an absolute steal!

I'm off to finish reading all about "The Year That Was" - Glamour's guide to the top 100 stories of the year - and keep reminiscing about the last 12 months. Where on earth has 2014 gone?!